


Off the Record

by flirtyhanzo



Series: Superhero/Reporter AU [2]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Coming Out, Established Relationship, First Dates, Fluff, M/M, Meet the Family, Trans Jesse McCree, and a little hint at non-binary hanzo!!!, flirty and affectionate men, they are.....in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 12:34:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11851671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flirtyhanzo/pseuds/flirtyhanzo
Summary: As Hanzo and Jesse begin their relationship, Hanzo discovers that balancing the life of a superhero and the life of a boyfriend is much more difficult than it seems. But, with Jesse at his side, anything is possible.





	Off the Record

**Author's Note:**

> few things
> 
> 1\. hi! i've spent the last month crying about all the nice comments on conflict of interest...seriously, i appreciate every single one and some of them actually did leave me teary-eyed ;~; thank you so much for all of your kind comments and kudos it really helps motivate me to write!
> 
> 2\. right now everything i have planned for this is essentially a one-shot...idk there isn't much of a consistent plot at the moment just cute relationship stuff
> 
> 3\. this is short and not uh good but i wanted to get something posted before school starts because i will probably not update much if at all this semester
> 
> anyway enjoy!!!!!

Christmas comes and goes, as does the start of another year. But, rather than sitting on the couch alone or driving his drunk brother and colleagues home from Overwatch's New Year's Eve party, Hanzo Shimada enters the year with Jesse McCree at his side and a kiss on his lips. 

 

"Does this count as our first date?" Jesse asked, approximately two minutes past midnight. They had done nothing but sip champagne out of red plastic cups and gossip for the last hour, since Hanzo had all-but dragged Jesse away from his work. 

 

They both agreed that no, it does not count as a date, and they want to take each other out. While Hanzo suggests dinner and a movie for its traditional simplicity, Jesse only smirks, keeping his mouth shut when Hanzo asks what he is up to. Whatever the reporter has planned, Hanzo must wait to find out, as their schedules seem to constantly interfere with each other. 

 

Hanzo shouldn't be surprised that the transition from  _superhero_  to  _superhero and boyfriend_  is not an easy one, but a couple of weeks later finds the two of them having yet to go out together at all. Once the holidays end, an increase in crime seems to do all it can to prevent any progression in their relationship. They steal every moment they can together, moving their traditional office conversations to a more reasonable hour at Hanzo's apartment. They text and talk on the phone and eat microwaveable dinners while sitting at the table, pretending that they don't know Hanzo will probably be called away before they can finish. They discuss their respective days at work like nothing has changed, except Hanzo's actual name is included in the various things Jesse calls him and they look at each other in different and exciting ways.

 

Hanzo always meets Jesse halfway for kisses, not much beyond chaste pecks so far, but there is still a part of Hanzo that anticipates any kind of affection with trepidation. When is it appropriate to kiss Jesse, other than when they say hello and goodbye? Can he kiss Jesse simply because he wants to, in the middle of a conversation because Jesse looks particularly good in certain lights? Or is that weird? Is Hanzo a bad kisser? Does his breath smell? These are the thoughts that plague him during one of their evenings together. Hanzo debates excusing himself to shove the handful of mints in his back pocket in his mouth when Jesse clears his throat. 

 

"You're thinking awfully loud," Jesse says softly, poking at his dinner. He'd made spaghetti earlier, excited for what he called a 'proper date,' until Hanzo's communicator went off just as he was putting the finishing touches on the marinara sauce. An acidic, sentient blob was attacking downtown, the product of a scientist becoming too ambitious with his experiments. Hanzo was admittedly sloppy during the fight, at one point even trying to reason with the creature so he could get home to his boyfriend. He slipped away once the day was saved, putting off the inevitable lecture Soldier wanted to give him and crawling back into his apartment hours later covered head to toe in slime. Jesse was sitting at the kitchen table with his feet kicked up, still wearing Hanzo's Pikachu apron and drinking wine while watching late night television. Canned laughter and the squelch that accompanied every move Hanzo made filled the silence as they looked at each other, neither of them sure what to say. Jesse stood up, stepping towards the microwave and putting in a bowl of the spaghetti while Hanzo waddled to the shower, coming back wearing day-old jeans and a wrinkled t-shirt.

 

"I am thinking at a moderate volume," Hanzo says back, twirling the last bit of his spaghetti around his fork. He savors it, because one of the things he's learned about Jesse is that he's an excellent cook. The dinner is tasty and satisfying, despite being reheated. 

 

"About what?"

 

_Kissing you._

 

"Kissing you." Hanzo's brain completely betrays him, the two words falling out of him in a weak mumble. He cringes when he accidentally drags his fork along the ceramic dinner plate, dropping the utensil with a clatter and a scowl. He hopes Jesse missed the comment, but if the sparkle in his eyes is anything to go off of he heard it loud and clear. 

 

"Damn, darlin'," Jesse says. His tone carries an edge of disappointment but there is a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "If that's the look you got on your face while thinking about that, maybe I need to change up my game."

 

Hanzo balks. Jesse's 'game,' could not be more perfect. 

 

"It is  _I_  who needs to change up his game."

 

Jesse leans forward against the island with a grin, back arching in a way that makes Hanzo's cheeks feel hot. "What makes you say that? You been kissing yourself?"

 

Hanzo cannot help but mimic Jesse's playful expression. "What? No—"

 

"Then I think I'm the only fella who gets to judge your game. It's ten out of ten from where I'm standing, sugar." Jesse licks his lips, chuckling when he follows Hanzo's quick glance downwards at his mouth. He grabs Hanzo's clean plate and stacks it on his own, placing both in the sink before returning to his position at the island, face in his hands. "What're you thinking about now?"

 

Honesty, Hanzo decides, is best. 

 

"Making out with you."

 

Jesse reaches behind his back, slowly tugging the apron's bow-tied strings and pulling it off over his head. 

 

"We smell like garlic."

 

Hanzo's hand plunges into his pocket so quickly he feels his powers involuntarily thrumming underneath his fingertips. He procures the red and white mints he'd gotten at a restaurant with Genji during lunch yesterday, holding them out to Jesse. 

 

"Mint?"

 

Jesse blinks several times before laughing, taking the proffered mint, unwrapping one side and pinching the other to push the candy into his mouth.

 

"Oh, how romantic," Jesse says with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows as the mint clicks against his teeth.

 

At the start of their relationship, affection was difficult for Hanzo to express, something that the hero was not expecting to have in common with the reporter. They moved towards each other inch by inch, going from lingering touches to fingers intertwining, kisses migrating from cheeks to hands to lips, lasting longer and longer the more they began to trust and share with each other. Hanzo knows their relationship has depth, but he still feels like an awkward sixteen-year-old with their first crush as he finally presses his body to Jesse's and kisses him passionately. 

 

He is more than certain about how he feels about Jesse...he wants to be here, wants to kiss him, but something  _still_  feels wrong. Just a little bit. Is it the kitchen and the lingering smell of marinara and garlic? Maybe. Hanzo pulls away, speaking before Jesse can question it. 

 

"This will be far more enjoyable on the couch."

 

Hanzo is surprised to see Jesse's eyes darting left and right, his lips pursed in a tight line and a light blush on his cheeks so faint only someone as close as Hanzo is now could see it. Jesse is nervous, like Hanzo has never seen him before.

 

"Got it."

 

Hanzo walks them to the couch, Jesse's palm becoming slick with sweat against Hanzo's own. 

 

Dread makes Hanzo's stomach sink. The kissing resumes, but the atmosphere becomes uneasy, their hands hesitating more and more as both men are clued into each other's growing discomfort. Again, Hanzo stops when it becomes too much. Something is happening—Hanzo suspects it is his own doing until Jesse breaks their brief moment of eye contact, fixating on wall. 

 

"Jesse." Hanzo's fists curl over his knees. "Is something wrong?"

 

"C—Can we stop?" Jesse stammers, shifting his weight and tucking one of his legs underneath himself. Hanzo huffs out a shaky breath. 

 

"What is it? Did I—"

 

"No,  _no,_ " Jesse assures him quickly. The large, warm hand that cups his jaw is welcome. Hanzo leans into the touch and kisses the tip of Jesse's thumb. "You didn't do a thing. Ain't nothing better than kissing you."

 

Hanzo is more than willing to stop at Jesse's request and would sooner jump off a mountain than insist on continuing, but something else is clearly bothering his boyfriend. 

 

Now, Hanzo is filled with dread  _and_  confusion. 

 

"But you want to stop." 

 

Jesse releases a long sigh, but for what it's worth he still looks incredibly tense. His hand drops back down to his lap, leaving Hanzo's cheek feeling cold. "Yeah."

 

"May I ask why?" 

 

Being able to understand and communicate well with Jesse was one of the first things that made Hanzo fall for him. If Jesse was willing, Hanzo would help him in any way he could. 

 

But what if Hanzo couldn't? What if he actually  _is_  the problem, and Jesse is just trying to formulate a plan to let him down easily? 

 

At what point did Hanzo ruin it all?

 

Silence, for awhile at least, as Jesse seems to try and decide a good way to go about saying whatever it is he wants to say. The patience Hanzo musters as he waits, holding himself back from asking again and again is probably something he could only manage for Jesse. 

 

"I been wanting to tell you something important," Jesse says at last, hands together and broad shoulders hunched. The way he tries to makes himself small where he sits hurts Hanzo's heart, and gives way to the idea that maybe this isn't about him after all.

 

Nevertheless, Hanzo's throat goes dry. 

 

"Okay."

 

"Woo..." Jesse whistles lowly. He appears to be trying to calm himself down, but nothing works. "Alright."

 

"You can tell me anything, Jesse." Hanzo gives into the urge to touch Jesse, simply holding his hand like he has done countless times already. He reminds himself that no matter what, as long as Jesse is happy, he will survive. 

 

"Yeah." Jesse nods, squeezing Hanzo's fingers and looking a little more certain as he turns to fully face him. "Yeah, I can. And I trust you."

 

Hanzo smiles, adoration written clearly on his face. "I trust you as well."

 

"I'm trans," Jesse blurts, starts to ramble before before Hanzo can properly respond to the revelation. "When I was born, everyone told me I was a girl. But that ain't ever been true..."

 

Jesse trails off. Perhaps he expected to say more, but after a moment seems content with the way he told Hanzo what he wanted to. He regards Hanzo with brows raised in anticipation for any kind of reaction.

 

And Hanzo...he feels the weight of all his previous anxieties disappear. There is not much to consider or think about as he takes both of Jesse's hands in his own and soundlessly places a kiss to his boyfriend's flesh knuckles.

 

"Thank you for sharing that with me, Jesse. It was very brave of you."

 

"Really?"

 

Hanzo nods. Jesse's admission brings about many thoughts for him, including the reminder that, in his own case, the concept of gender as a whole has always been flimsy. But, primarily, he wants to support his boyfriend, respect him, and make him feel safe no matter what. Hanzo looks up through his eyelashes at Jesse—his smart, clever, amazing Jesse—and sighs warmly. 

 

The others are right, he is  _so_  far gone. Utterly helpless. 

 

"This does not change a thing. You are every bit the man you were before and I am happy to call you my boyfriend."

 

Jesse exhales loudly, sagging forward and burying his nose into the hair on top of Hanzo's head. Nothing is said until long after a twinge in Hanzo's neck has flared. 

 

"Thanks, Hanzo," Jesse says, voice serious, a deep rumble close to Hanzo's ear that sends a chill down his spine. They do not move, every sound nothing more than a whisper in the small pocket they have created between them in their yearning to just be closer to one another. 

 

"You hardly have to thank me for showing you the basic decency you deserve."

 

Jesse scoffs. "Still feels nice."

 

Hanzo moves now, lifting his head, _needing_  to look into those dark brown eyes he loves so much. Said eyes are puffy and tired-looking, but not wet or bloodshot. Hanzo briefly strokes Jesse's sideburns, tucking a stray lock of hair behind his ear. "You are beautiful, Jesse. Every inch of you."

 

"You ain't too bad yourself, now that I get to look at that pretty face of yours instead of a mask."

 

"Do you wish to continue?" Hanzo asks, but not out of any hopeful desire. Jesse shakes his head. 

 

"Can we just cuddle? Put on a movie?"

 

"Of course." Hanzo kisses Jesse's temple and stands, making his way over to his movie collection. "Horror?"

 

"Sure thing."

 

Hanzo runs his fingers over the DVDs, stopping at one and pulling the case out. "The Ring?"

 

"Never seen it."

 

"Never seen it?" Hanzo parrots. He drops his voice to quote the famous line in movie, his vocal chords vibrating at the guttural imitation, sounding more like a witch in an old cartoon than someone in a horror movie. " _You will die in seven days._ "

 

Jesse stares, blinking twice before practically exploding with boisterous laughter. Hanzo absolutely  _beams_  at being the one responsible for such a wonderful sound existing. He suddenly wants to scoop Jesse up and spin him around, but stays kneeling by his DVDs.

 

"Not ringing any bells, sweetheart." Jesse shrugs. "But it sounds downright spooky."

 

Hanzo starts the movie and sits back down, turning to lay his legs across Jesse's lap like usual, but pauses when Jesse gestures for him to stop before he can do so. Jesse takes off his prosthetic, then slides up between Hanzo's thighs and settles against his chest with a mock harrumph, easing a chuckle out of Hanzo as they get comfortable. 

 

Unsurprisingly, the city's busiest reporter is fast asleep before Naomi Watts even sees the cursed video tape. Hanzo becomes far more interested in watching Jesse's eyes twitch wildly underneath his closed lids as he dreams and listening to him snore softly. Hanzo lets him sleep, knowing Jesse was going to go home after the movie and work himself into the early hours of the morning. He feels a small amount of triumph, removing his own prosthetics with expert stealth once the end credits begin to roll. Jesse's snoring hitches when Hanzo reaches for the blanket folded across the middle of the couch, returning to even breathing once he is enveloped by the fleece. 

 

For their first night together spent actually sleeping, it is less than ideal. Jesse's shoulder will no doubt be sore in the morning, and Hanzo can already feel an ache in his lower back. 

 

And yet, sleep comes easily in Jesse's presence. There is no place he would rather be. 

 

He just hopes Jesse feels the same. 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!!!! visit me on tumblr @flirtyhanzo


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